This invention relates to improvements in dispensing cord containers; more specifically, to a dispensing cap for gingival cord containers. While disclosed in its preferred embodiment for that application in the dental profession, it will be recognized that features of the invention are also of utility in other fields of use.
The use of gingival retraction cord in the dental profession typically involves frequent dispensing of short lengths of cord from a roll or other bulk source of cord. The high standards of hygiene employed by the profession make it desirable that the cord be protected from contamination at all times. It is therefore desirable that the cord supply for use be stored entirely within a closed, antiseptic container. During times of withdrawal of the cord when lengths to be severed for use are required, it is desirable that the cord be exposed to as little manual handling as possible. Thus, the requirements of the profession dictate a retraction cord dispensing device in which cord may be stored in a sterile environment and dispensed in any desired length with a minimum of exposure to contamination.
The demands of the profession also make it desirable that a dentist or his assistant be able to quickly and efficiently obtain any desired length of retraction cord from the stored coil. Any delay caused by having to untangle the cord or thread it through a dispenser, or by awkward handling requirements in withdrawing and severing the required lengths is highly undesirable in view of the critical time constraints and immediacy of demands during treatment of a patient.
The practice within the dental profession in the past has been to store retraction cord in narrow-mouthed plastic bottles with screw caps. Typically, the cord is not rolled or coiled within the bottle, resulting in occasional tangling of the cord and attendant inefficiency in use. Also, since there is no positive means for grasping the cord when the cap is off the bottle, the end of the cord occasionally falls back into the bottle where it can be manually extracted only with some difficulty. To guard against this, the common practice has been to leave a short length of cord exposed outside the bottle and grasped by the screw cap. This practice, however, it unsightly and exposes the end of the cord to contamination.
Therefore, a basic object and purpose of this invention is to provide a device which stores the retraction cord in a protected environment when not in use.
A further object of this invention is to provide a device which facilitates quick and reliable dispensation of any desired length of retraction cord.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a cord dispensing container cap incorporating a gate device, closure of which holds the cord firmly to facilitate severing the withdrawn length at the tip of the dispensing spout and thereafter continues to hold the severed retained end of the cord against falling back into the container or slipping father out of the spout.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a cord dispensing gate device, the opening of which simultaneously both releases the cord for withdrawal from the container and projects the retained end of the cord sufficiently beyond the tip of the dispensing spout to allow it to be grasped readily for withdrawl of additional cord from the container.